Grief
by Rhiw
Summary: General Rahm Kota allows himself a moment of grief for what was most likely the closet thing to a padawan he'd ever had - and receives an unexpected comfort from the Force. Spoilers for The Force Unleashed. One shot, complete.


Short little thing, I just beat The Force Unleashed and couldn't get the idea out of my head. For fans of my Unexpected Awakening story; fear not! It is not abandoned, I've finally gotten around to working on the new chapter. Expect it within the month.

Thanks!

Rhiw

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**Grief**

Rahm Kota took a deep breath as the door behind him hissed shut. If he strained he could hear the gentle foot falls of Princess Leia, though in truth he didn't need to. Her force signature hummed on the edges of his awareness, growing fainter and fainter as she progressed further away. The Force sung around that child. Undoubtedly she would have been brought to the Temple had it not fallen. As it stood, it was best she live untrained, her potential hidden. The vibration of the ship traveled up his legs and into his knees, making the overused joints ache. How strange it was – that the Force had returned to him after so long an absence. As suddenly as it had gone, it had returned. No, Kota sighed as he lowered himself into a chair stiffly, it had returned to him after he had once more found faith.

_The irony, _the old General thought darkly,_ that it would be returned to me by the same boy who took it from me._

Kota allowed his eyes to drift shut, breathing deeply as Galen Marek's last moments played themselves across his memory. The strength that boy had…In the solace of his own quarters, far removed from prying eyes, Kota allowed himself to grieve. He swallowed slowly, bringing a hand up to rest against his face as he sighed.

His padawan…He had known it the moment Galen had struck him down. He had been eighteen when Master Yoda had begun tutoring him in the Jedi arts, the possibility of taking a padawan had never even entered his mind. Perhaps that's why it was Galen...? Whatever the reason was, it was an impossibility. Kota had known that the moment it had become a conscious thought. The boy was too far gone, time too short. Yet it had changed nothing. The bond rooted itself deep inside his mind.

The silence on the other end was deafening. As much as it had disturbed him to feel the fear, the anger, the darkness that was there...Kota longed to feel anything once more.

The old Jedi rubbed his eyes carefully. They hurt him sometimes; the blow so total and deep that it was a pain he would carry with him his whole life. He let his hand fall from his face, blind eyes opening to stare upwards. Galen was one with the Force, he should not feel such grief. The boy had been saved, led from the dark side. Kota had done all he could for him. His legacy lived on in the form of the Rebel Alliance, even in death Galen would still fight. The thought was comforting, but it didn't lessen the tightness in his chest. Kota suddenly felt old, very old.

Galen had lived such a harsh life – to have only Vader as your Master, as the only father to have ever known…Proxy's existence alone was enough to make Kota's stomach turn. To think of living an entire childhood with only an artificial companion, one designed solely to kill you. Starkiller had lived a short, painful life.

What would his life had been like if he had lived in the Temple? Would Kota have still found him? For a moment the image of Galen clad in traditional Jedi grab was illuminated brightly in his imagination, a long braid trailing over his shoulder. Kota pushed the thought away. These thoughts did no good, only serving to remind him what he had lost. It was completely out of his character, he was never one for self-torture. A chuckle echoed across the small cabin.

"_I would have liked you to be my Master, if you could stay sober long enough that is." _

Kota nearly bolted from the chair, staring wide eyed as the voice filtered through his mind. And in another wave of irony, the last thing he ever saw also became the first. Galen stood before him, arms crossed and head cocked slightly to the side, his lips quirked unevenly in a smirk. He stood like a blue beacon in front of him, his image and the halo of light around him so clear that it was only the darkness around him that reminded Kota he was blind.

"Galen?"

The boy snorted, _"Who else would bother visiting you?"_

"I-" Kota stopped, suddenly acutely aware that he had no idea what to say. Galen uncrossed his arms, letting them fall to his side as he watched the old General. For a moment he was silent, his eyes drifting down to stare at the ground. When he spoke again it was haltingly, awkwardly.

"_I…wish there could have been more between us. I wish that about many people."_

Juno, Kota realized with a sigh. "She can not see you."

Galen nodded his head mutely, raising a transparent hand, turning it slightly as he examined it. _"She and I…were never meant to be. This was always my path, even before I realized it." _His eyes drifted back to Kota, his brown eyes blazing with the same intensity as they had in life. _"It doesn't have to be the same for us."_

The blue figure stepped forward and Kota watched in fascination as the white strips of fabric moved around his knees with the action.

"_I can speak to you, like this. It is hard; the Force always seeks for me to immerge myself with it."_

"You would fight it's call for me?" The Jedi's voice shook slightly when he spoke. The boy sighed, crossing his arms once more before shaking his head sharply.

"_No. I would do that for me." _Galen's face took a look of annoyance, reminding Kota of how young he truly was, _"I am tired of having things taken from me."_

Kota let out a laugh, slowly lowering himself back into his chair, his knees popping loudly accordingly. He leaned his chin against his hand, watching the blue figure for a moment, a grin still on his lips. It was an unlooked for gift, but he would take it gladly.

"So, what is it like being one with the Force?"

Galen smirked. _"Wouldn't you like to know."_

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Phew, it's out of my head! Hope I managed to stay in character, neither one of them are very emotional kind of guys. Reviews appreciated.

_Author's Edit, 2/12/09: Just changed for us to for me, seems more in Galen's character. And tweeked a bit._


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